The United States has allowed itself to fall into a quagmire – millions upon millions of illegal aliens have wormed themselves into our social structure, with ill effects for both the public and the individual.  The administration and Congress and the public all recognize the need for change in that situation.

 

As we have shown, though, the so-called "comprehensive immigration reform" now being debated in Congress is neither comprehensive, nor is it reform.  It is fundamentally flawed in too many areas to address specifically, but two stand out in stark clarity:  it sacrifices the interests of the American worker in favor of foreign competition, and it ignores the realities of public safety and national security.

 

We at NAFBPO have put to use our collective centuries of experience in the field to conceive a plan that suffers neither of those shortcomings.  It is complex – but so is the existing proposal.  It will be difficult to execute – but so is the existing proposal.  It will be expensive – but so is the existing proposal.  It will have adverse affect on some people – but those people do not belong in this country!  They will just have to go back to the homes they left.

 

Our plan has 6 parts.  They are reasonable and logical

1.     Enhance border security – for real, not with empty proposals that cannot work or will not be carried out.  No country can protect its citizens without controlling its borders.  This effort must be sufficiently staffed and equipped so as to detect and prevent those persons seeking entry into the country illegally or in pursuit of other activity detrimental to our national interests.

2.     Aliens who are illegally here must leave – and that must be made clear to them with a national statement of purpose.  They will be compelled to leave through firm and relentless pressure on all aspects of their lives. Those who fail to leave on their own will be removed whenever found.

3.     No amnesty in any form – and quit talking about it!  Amnesty (or whatever you  may wish to call it) is absolutely unnecessary and it is not a reasonable solution.  As the '86 act proved, the prospect simply encourages those illegals here now to stay, and it draws others.  Fraud was rampant then and would be far worse today.  Timely and meaningful record checks cannot be performed on millions of applicants.

4.     Employer sanctions must be vigorously pursued to remove the primary reason illegal aliens come here: employment.  Existing law is sufficient to the purpose, but a higher level of enforcement must be undertaken.

There are things beyond jobs that attract them, though, and their access to those things must be curtailed as well. Education at taxpayers' expense, public health care (except emergency care), bank accounts, credit cards, and all the other things that enable a convenient life in our society must be taken from their reach.

The government must take the part of the American people in all this – which it has so far utterly failed to do.  As a single example of that larger concept, when a town adopts a "no rent" ordinance, one that forbids renting to illegal aliens, and is sued for it, the Department of Justice should step into the case on the town's behalf.

5.     To help the American worker regain his rightful place in the national economy, the government, unions and employers, working together for the common good, must develop training and relocation programs for American job seekers.  This will be expensive, but certainly no more so than are the costs imposed by the presence of illegal aliens.

6.     Finally, after the above five steps are in place and if data from the U.S. Department of Labor confirms the existence of a labor shortage, a temporary guest worker program can be instituted to recruit foreign workers abroad.

 

The plan has several significant advantages for the nation.  The most important is that is is a gradual solution, one that avoids the social shocks to legal society that an amnesty will impose.

 

Furthermore,

·        It will prevent another invasion of illegal aliens.

·        It protects the American worker, and returns him to his rightful place.

·        It will keep in this country the nearly one-hundred billion dollars a year that will be sent abroad by illegal workers by 2010.

·        Employers will be able to gradually adapt to new realities in the labor market. 

·        The social burdens imposed by millions of illegal aliens will diminish as they leave the country.

·        It dispels the myth that you can't require the illegals to go home.

·        It allays the fears of mass deportations – generally, illegal aliens will depart on their own as they realize that staying is no longer an option.

·        And finally, it makes a strong statement about our national sovereignty and the rule of law in this country.

We recognize that our solution will be neither easy nor quick, and there will be ample opposition.  However, taken on balance against the proposal in Congress, it is certainly to be preferred when considering the national interests.